da fezbet： After ten weeks in Caribbean sport’s most critically analysed job,Carl Hooper appreciates that West Indies’ cricket is facing turbulenttimes
Haydn Gill13-May-2001After ten weeks in Caribbean sport’s most critically analysed job,Carl Hooper appreciates that West Indies’ cricket is facing turbulenttimes.In recent years, successive captains, coaches, managers, performanceconsultants and whoever else have endured the burden of moderateresults, especially overseas.For most of the period Hooper was one of the lieutenants. He is nowthe general and the new West Indies captain would have observed thekind of pressure that his successors went through.I’m prepared for that. I’ve seen it with (Courtney) Walsh. I’ve seenit with Brian (Lara). I’ve seen it with Jimmy (Adams), Hooper said.It is nothing new for me. It’s nothing different. All the criticismand the flap that is going to come down, I am prepared for and expect.The most important thing is to make sure that the team is focussed,not swayed by outside influences and try to take one step at a time inbuilding what we think will be a very good West Indies team in yearsto come.The truth of the matter is that the knowledgeable West Indian publicalways demands success and, based on results alone, Hooper has notbeen able to deliver.One should not forget that he came into the job as West Indies captainafter almost two years in the wilderness and in the aftermath of theteam’s 5-0 Test series drubbing in Australia.West Indies were able to show admirable fighting spirit in the firstphase of the series against South Africa, but in the end, they couldnot win either the Vivian Richards Trophy for the Test series or theCable & Wireless Trophy for the One-Day Internationals.And while supporters around the region have started to pile onpressure, Hooper remains unflustered.I’ve got to hold up. I can’t let that get to me. If I let it get tome, it will start affecting my game, he said.His players, however, have been hot and cold with their performances.Take Chris Gayle, for example. On the opening day of the Test series,he cracked several off-side boundaries on the way to 81. There were afew other scores of 40-odd, but there were times when his footwork andshot selection often caused his downfall.Others were affected by similar problems, but Hooper is satisfied hismen were committed to the task.I think they’ve been trying in all honesty, he said. We’ve just beencompletely outplayed. I don’t think it is a lack of determination ordesire.When those like Gayle made mistakes, the captain tried his best tosolve their problems.When they’ve got out, I’ve sat down and had one-on-ones with a numberof young players and they all want to do well. It’s just that we’velacked the depth, experience and the know-how to go about dealing withthe South Africans. I hope they will learn from it and put it down tojust an experience and be better for it at the end of the series.As one who was part of the West Indies side that went through thehumiliation of a whitewash in South Africa a little over two yearsago, Hooper knew the type of quality opposition he would be facing.The South Africans are a highly professional unit which has madeimmense strides since their re-entry to international cricket in 1991.We were always aware that they would be a tough team to play. Itdoesn’t make it any easier, Hooper said.Unfortunately, the gap between the two teams has been shown, but we’renot going to lose heart. It’s a good time to sit and gauge where weare at the moment and where we want to go.As the series winds down, have the West Indies moved any closer tonarrowing the distance between the two sides?It’s hard to bridge that sort of gap in just a few weeks, the WestIndies captain responded. South Africa have worked for years to get tothe level of where they’re at and it is going to take us the same timeto get up there.I don’t expect to see it overnight. You probably won’t see it foranother year or so, but certainly we know where we want to go.